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Moroccan Restaurant Located in Downtown Schenectady.

Photographs by Inga Hotaling

The story of Tara Kitchen begins…with a love story. Owners Aneesa Waheed and Muntasim Shoaib met in Marrakech, Morocco and after a whirlwind romance, married under starry cobalt skies on a balmy North African night, in the shadow of the Atlas mountains. They left their desert paradise for Aneesa’s hometown of Schenectady—and brought with them their love of Morocco’s rich cuisine and culture. In Tara Kitchen, the only Moroccan restaurant in the capital district, they share that love with a loyal and growing clientele. The couple opened the restaurant in 2012, after nearly three years of offering authentic ethnic food in the Schenectady and Troy farmers markets. Aneesa creates exotic yet accessible dishes—from fragrant tagines to delicious couscous—infused with the complex blend of spices and ingredients unique to Moroccan food. After receiving numerous requests for sauces to cook with at home, Aneesa created the Tara Kitchen line of distinctive jarred sauces that are free of gluten, nuts, soy, dairy, sesame and in some cases, salt and oil. They are available now on our website and at select Northeast Whole Foods stores, Price Chopper, Niskayuna Food CoOp and Honest Weight Food CoOP.